


Holding On, Holding Tight

by embroiderama



Category: White Collar RPF
Genre: Gen, Schmoop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-30
Updated: 2012-10-30
Packaged: 2017-11-17 09:22:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/550046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/embroiderama/pseuds/embroiderama
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Even in the middle of a busy set in a crowded city, Matt has a hard time being away from his family for so long. But Matt has Tim, and Tim has Matt, and sometimes that's all they need to get through the day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Holding On, Holding Tight

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is completely gen, but it's the slashiest damn gen I've ever written. I think it could fairly be called smarm, but I prefer the term "emo-porn." LOL This was written for the prompt "loneliness" in [](http://elrhiarhodan.livejournal.com/profile)[**elrhiarhodan**](http://elrhiarhodan.livejournal.com/)'s [Promptfest VII](http://elrhiarhodan.livejournal.com/302176.html). Also, given that this is total fluff, I honestly didn't worry about timeline realities. If that's all that's unrealistic, I'm golden.
> 
> Disclaimer: This is totally fiction, has nothing to do with the actual people named, etc.  
> 

When they were filming during the summer, sweltering under wool suits and overcoats, Tim would daydream about cool breezes instead of hot gusts of air from the subway grates, his breath freezing in the air rather than sweat running down his back. Between set-ups they’d retreat to air-conditioned trailers and strip off their coats, open their shirts to catch the cool air pumping out of the a/c units. It had been one of those days, when filming was done for the day and Tim had been ready to collapse, almost sick from the heat, and Matt had waved off his own ride home and accompanied Tim back to his apartment. Tim had struggled with his t-shirt, already sticky with sweat after half an hour, until Matt peeled it off him and corralled him into the bathroom for a cool shower.

Tim’s head had been clear by the time he walked out with a towel wrapped around his hips. The concern he saw in Matt’s eyes made his chest tight for a moment but then Matt looked away. “What’s up?” Tim grabbed his bathrobe from the back of the sofa and pulled it on over his towel, keeping an eye on Matt.

“I just didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. Sorry.”

“What?” Tim stared at Matt for a moment until he understood. “Seriously, Matty, the number of times we’ve changed together on set? If I were uncomfortable you’d know it by now.”

Matt smiled then, tension dropping out of his shoulders, and Tim hated to think that he’d put that worry there, even inadvertently.

“Not to mention, there’s some pretty major photographic evidence of me with my hands all over you, and I don’t think I’d be doing that if I gave a damn about you being _gay_. What’s going on in your head?”

Matt shook his head. “It’s nothing, sorry. It’s just been a long time away from my family right now.”

“I know.” Tim sighed and brushed his hand over Matt’s hair, surprised at how Matt leaned in to the touch. “Give me a minute to put on some clothes. If I keep hanging around in this robe it’s going to be like [something from The Gary Shandling Show](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgHGuaUU4MU).”

“Huh?” Matt looked up, confused.

“Never mind, just hang out for a minute, okay?”

“Sure.”

Tim didn’t know what was going on, but it was clearly something so he walked back to his bedroom, pulled on the first t-shirt and pair of shorts he found and headed back to the living room. He found Matt where he’d left him, morosely poking at something on his phone. Tim sat down next to him on the couch, close enough to get in his space but far enough that he could look in Matt’s face while they talked.

“So tell me what’s going on? Not problems at home, I hope.”

Matt put down his phone and shook his head. “No. Thank God, no. There isn’t really a problem at all, I guess. I was worried that something was going wrong here, and Simon told me to talk to you but I’m an idiot.”

“No. You’re not. But what did you think was wrong around here?”

Matt shrugged. “You’ve been kind of, I don’t know, hands-off with me the last couple months, and I was worried I screwed something up.”

“No. If I’ve been different it’s not on purpose, and I'm sorry for making you think that. I still love you as much as always, kid." Tim wrapped his arm around Matt's shoulders to pull him in closer. Matt held still for a moment then sighed and tilted his head over to lean against Tim's arm. Tim just breathed for a minute while he thought through what was going on. "I'm going to say some things, and if I get anything wrong you'll tell me. That work?"

"I'm okay, really," Matt protested, but he didn't move.

"You haven't been able to see your family in a while, and you're lonely as hell." Tim paused, waiting for an argument that didn't come. "And you're too worn out to deal with being lonely right now." Silence. "And having me invade your personal space on a regular basis helps take the edge off that a little bit."

"Not--not so little," Matt added tentatively.

"Aw, Matty." Tim shifted to where he could reach his other arm around for a real hug, and he felt Matt's arms go around his waist. "You should've said something sooner."

"It seems pathetic," Matt mumbled into Tim's shoulder, "and a lot to ask." He started to pull away, and Tim held him still.

"Just stay. And it's not that much to ask, considering you're a pretty goddamn huggable guy."

Matt laughed quietly, and the next time he started to pull back Tim let him. They ordered cold food to be delivered and spent the evening watching baseball side by side.

After that, things were better. Tim greeted Matt every morning on set with a hug and took every opportunity to manhandle him, both in-character and out. When they came back to film again in the fall, he continued as if they'd never even been on hiatus, and as the filming season wore on he took to inviting Matt over to watch football on Sunday. His reward was seeing more real smiles on Matt's face and seeing the lines of his body relax. Feeling it.

Tim didn't like asking for special favors from production, but when a family event came up that couldn't be rescheduled and couldn't be missed Jeff Eastin agreed to switch around an episode to make it Peter-lite, giving Marsha and Sharif more of a chance to shine. When he left, New York was pleasantly autumnal, but he returned after a week to unseasonably cold temperatures and rain that barely cleared up long enough to let them do location shots.

The car that picked him up from JFK took him straight to the studio to film some fill-in shots with the second unit, and it was another day before he went back to filming with the rest of the cast. They were filming at the docks, and Tim knew that post-production would work their magic to make the gray fall day look bright and sunny but that didn't do them any good when they were stuck working in thin pants and polo shirts, standing in the biting wind that came in off the water.

Tim didn't mind that much--he could deal with the cold much better than heat--but his first thought when he joined his co-stars was that Matt looked _miserable_. He moved in for his usual hug but Matt held up a hand to keep him back.

"There's a bug going around, and I think I'm patient zero so you might want to stay away." His voice sounded rough, and up close Tim could see that makeup was the only thing keeping him from looking pale and washed-out.

"All the kids I was around this past week, if I didn't get it from them I'm not going to get it from you. Come here." He pulled Matt in and rubbed his hands up and down his back trying to warm him up. Matt leaned heavily against Tim for a couple of breaths before straightening up and taking a step back. "Should you even be here?" Tim asked.

Matt shrugged, frowning slightly. "You know how it is."

"Yeah. Well, when we get a break, it's going to be you, me and a cup of hot tea in your trailer."

"I'm not going to argue with that," Matt said. Then it was time to work, and Matt dredged up Neal Caffrey's energy and charm from somewhere inside him.

They all huddled in coats between set-ups, but the cold wore on all of them and Tim was more relieved than usual when it was time for a break. He grabbed two cups of hot tea, one with honey, and went to Matt's trailer where he found Matt sitting on the small sofa with his eyes closed, a blanket wrapped around him.

"You asleep?"

Matt opened his eyes and sniffled. "Not yet."

Tim sat down next to him and handed over the cup of sweetened tea. "Get some of this on your throat, okay?"

Matt nodded and closed his eyes again while he sipped at the tea, his shoulder pressed against Tim's. "Man, you got me hooked on your koala bear arms and then split town. Not fair." Matt put his cup down and shivered until Tim got up and came back with another blanket.

When he sat down again, Tim tugged on Matt's arm until he tipped over, curled up on his side with his head on Tim's lap. Tim spread out the second blanket then patted Matt's arm through the layers of fabric. "Sleep, Matty. I'll wake you up when it's time to go back outside."

Matt nodded, and soon Tim felt him relax, his lightly congested breaths slowing down with sleep. When he was certain Matt wouldn't wake up, Tim pulled his phone out of his pocket and started sending texts. If Peter could get a break for an episode, Neal could go missing for a few scenes. When that was taken care of, to his satisfaction if not the director's, Tim closed his eyes and let his arm curl around Matt.

 _Honey, he's your work spouse. It's sweet_ , his wife had said when Tim was talking to her about life on the White Collar set. He'd laughed it off at the time, though he hadn't bothered protesting much. Tim considered the warm weight on his lap and knew she'd been right.

"And I never even knew we were engaged," Tim mused to the quiet room around him. Matt snored softly, and Tim took that as the only answer he was going to get.


End file.
